


More Tired Than You Think

by BuzzCat



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: (Ford lives off of hugs and Mabel is living for it), Gen, asexual!Ford, succubus!Ford
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 09:39:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15704649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuzzCat/pseuds/BuzzCat
Summary: Stan worked for thirty years to bring his brother back through the portal, but what comes back doesn't look like his brother. It has fangs and claws and wings, but is his brother nonetheless.Ford is a succubus who lives off of hugs, Stan is a grumpy old man who missed his brother, Dipper is still vomiting in excitement, and Mabel is just excited to have another grunkle.





	More Tired Than You Think

Stan looked at the portal. This was it. Everything he’d worked for, everything he’d been trying to fix. This was the end of it. Everything was okay.

A shadowy figure stepped up to the portal. Stan felt his breath catch in his throat.

The shadow stepped through and Stan gasped.

It had great leathery wings, hands with curled claws at the end, and great big fangs. But more than that, it had Ford’s face.

Stan glared and pushed Dipper and Mabel behind him, gesturing for Soos to get behind him as well.

“I don’t know what the fuck you are, but you aren’t my brother!” Stan pulled his knuckledusters out of his pocket and slipped them on as he charged at the figure.

He didn’t even see the punch coming out of nowhere until it connected too fast with the side of his face.

Stan went reeling back, landing hard on the floor but up again before Dipper could do more than shout. He’d fucked up. How had it gone so wrong? This is what happens when a high school dropout tries to learn interdimensional physics.

Stan rushed the creature again, but this time it managed to grab and subdue him before Stan could get a punch in. Then, it said in a terribly familiar voice,

“Control yourself, Stanley.”

Stan struggled harder, “I will control nothing you thrice-cursed shapeshifter! What did you do to my brother?”

“Shapeshift? What—Stanley! Stanley, it’s me.”

“Like hell,” Stan growled. Mabel meanwhile, spoke up from where she and Dipper were huddled with Soos,

“Hey, quick question. What is going on here?”

“Yeah, and why are you calling Grunkle Stan Stanley? His name is Stanford.”

The shapeshifter turned to Stan, glaring, “You took my name?”

“I didn’t take your name because you’re not Ford, idiot,” Stan said, squirming on the floor.

“Oh for—Stanley, we grew up on Glass Shard Beach. We stopped talking in our last year of high school because you sabotaged my science project. We fought and I fell into the portal. Do you need anything else to believe me?” Ford growled. Stan stopped, panting. Ford stepped off him, standing back as Stanley stood up.

“So if you’re Ford, what’s with the extensions? You look like something I’d put in the giftshop.”

“There was a particular dimension that installed some…alternative features,” Ford sniffed. He glared at Stan, “But what is far more pressing is that you just put the entire universe at stake for something so foolish as opening that damn portal again. Don’t you know what that could have done?”

“Brought you back, idiot. Which I can see you’re so very grateful for,” Stan said as he rubbed at his jaw where Ford had punched him. Ford glared at him,

“That’s hardly worth it! And furthermore—” Only then did Ford seem to realize that they were not the only two people in the room. He stopped short when he saw two small children at the back of the room, protecting or protected by (he wasn’t sure which) a large gopher-man. He brushed past Stan, standing imperiously over the children, “And who are you?”

“They’re Shermie’s grandkids,” Stan explained, coming over to the group. Ford’s expression brightened up,

“I…I have family.” He crouched down and held out a six-fingered clawed hand to the little girl, “Pleased to make your acquaintance.” He smiled, trying to downplay the size of his fangs. The girl grinned at him,

“I have another grunkle!” She shook his hand and looked down, “Six fingers _and_ claws? That’s one finger friendlier than normal, and with bonus friendship protection insurance!” Ford grinned and looked back at Stanley,

“I like this girl. She’s weird.” He turned and held his hand out to the boy, who was looking at him with wide eyes. The boy’s gaze flicked to the six fingers and his widened, if that was even possible.

“You—that’s—did you write the journals?” he asked in a rush. Ford frowned,

“You’ve read my journals. Those are hardly—”

The boy started screaming excitedly and Ford jumped back, his oversensitive ears flicking at the loud noise. As the boy nearly vomited from overexcitement, Stanley stepped forward and crossed his arms,

“So what’s with the wings and stuff?”

“Grunkle Stan, I think the story needs to start further back than that,” the little girl said. The boy managed to overcome his reaction and the gopher-man moved to sit beside the kids who, now that he looked at it, could only be twins.

“Fine. Kids, this is my brother, Stanford Pines. My name is Stanley Pines. We grew up on Glass Shard Beach…”

 

“…and that’s what happened,” Stan said, finishing the tale with Ford falling through the portal. The three children were staring at the pair of them. Stan, however, paid it no mind. He turned to Ford, “Alright Poindexter, explain to me how you went into that portal fully-fledged human and came out with this,” he said, gesturing at Ford’s wings. Ford shuffled them a bit self-consciously,

“It’s quite simple really. While I was travelling the multiverse, I fell into a world where everyone lived as succubi.”

Stan paled. He was no weirdo scientist, but he’d watched enough sci-fi in his time, he knew what a succubus was. He knew Ford had never really been into anything physical with people. If there was a movie where people made out without wearing clothes, Ford got uncomfortable. So if his brother—

“Fortunately, their society and modification methods had options for people less interested in the traditional succubus route and leaning more toward the platonic side of things with hugs and such. I was assimilated into part of their culture and a part of that was the switch to be an succubus. Really, it was quite generous of them. Very few humans have been offered the chance,” Ford said, shuffling his wings and letting his claws click together as he moved his fingers.

“So let me get this straight,” Mabel looked up at him, steepling her fingers as she spoke seriously, “you are my great uncle who has been turned into a giant furry critter that needs love and hugs to survive.”

“Yes.”

“Literally you cannot live without hugs.”

Ford’s eyes shifted back and forth, “I believe we’ve already established tha—” He was cut off as Mabel rushed him, wrapping her arms around his middle. Immediately, Ford felt her love and happiness flooding in and filling him up. He reflexively hugged her back, then held on tighter when she giggled.

“Succubuses are the best!” Mabel said happily.

Stan and Ford both opened their mouths to protest, then stopped. They didn’t particularly want to explain to Mabel why she was wrong, and she was unlikely to meet another incubus or succubus anyway. Ford simply picked her up and held her close. God, it’d been so long since he’d gotten a hug, much longer since he’d gotten a hug from another human.

He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten a hug from a family member.

He felt more than saw someone run directly into his side and wrap arms around both him and Mable. For a split second, Ford thought it might have been Stan, but then the emotions flooded him: childlike joy, excitement, and also a little bit of betrayal. They all had a rather uncomplicated feeling to them, which left Ford of the mind that it could only the gopher-man. There was something refreshing about how simple the emotions felt; each emotion not wrapped up and hopelessly entangled in others but simply existing in its own right.

“Group hug!” the gopher-man shouted. Ford would have asked him not to yell directly into his ear but was distracted by the sounds of a commotion upstairs. Ford frowned, looking at Stan over Mabel’s shoulder,

“Does anyone outside this room know about the portal?”

Stan replied nonchalantly, “The entire U.S. government may be upstairs.”

“What!”

After a moment of panic, it was the work of minutes for Dipper to pull out the memory gun and for Ford to wipe the memories of the agents above. Ford started to walk up the stairs to tell them off before Stan yelled at him,

“Are you crazy? They take one look at your wings and fangs and freaking claws and they’ll just cart you off, regardless of what they can or can’t remember.”

“Nonsense, Stanley. I didn’t survive in the multiverse without learning at least a little in the way of disguises.” Ford concentrated and felt the cloaking fall over him. It was a trick the other succubi had taught him before he left, in case he had to hide what he was. It had certainly helped him escape more than a few alien bounty hunters; it was hardly a task to use it to fool a few humans who weren’t even looking for anything out of the ordinary.

In between one blink and the next, his wings, fangs, and claws disappeared, leaving Ford looking much more like the twin brother Stan remembered.

Ford put on a no-nonsense expression Stan very much remembered from their father and went up the stairs. Stan and the kids followed quietly behind him, staying in the house until they heard the government agents leave. As soon as they heard the last of the tires peal out of the drive, the kids were out on the porch, Mabel running directly at Ford and hugging him again while Dipper started babbling questions about everything from the journals to Ford’s new form.

Stan followed more sedately behind the kids,

“Alright, bedtime for both of you.”

“But Stan!” they chorused, Dipper clicking his pen and Mabel from beside his brother’s hip.

“Nope. Long day for everyone and I need to talk to my brother. Bed. Now.” Stan said. The kids pouted but went slowly. Stan turned and gave Soos a look.

“I’ll just be…not here,” Soos said as he began the walk back to town. Stan could hear him call Wendy but didn’t bother to stop him. She was bound to know soon enough anyway.

Stan turned to Ford and, just seeing his brother as he was, fangs and wings and all, he smiled. He’d gotten his brother back.

Ford, it seemed, was having no such emotional moment.

“You turned my house into a gift shop?”

“You turned my brother into a succubus?” Stan shot back. Ford glared at him,

“That’s not the same and you know it.”

Stan ran a hand down his face, muttering to himself, “I know.”

The two trudged tiredly into the house, stopping to stare in the mirror at the end of the hallway. Stan took in the stark contrast between the two of them.

“Well, no one is going to get us confused now,” he said joking. Ford smiled,

“Yeah, you look just like Dad.”

“Ugh, don’t say that!” Stan said, elbowing his brother jokingly. The joking atmosphere died quickly as Ford furrowed his brow, looking down,

“Alright Stanley, you can stay the rest of the summer and watch the kids. But at the end of the summer, you give me my house back, you give me my name back, and you leave town. Got it?”

Stan stared at Ford. He didn’t know what he’d expected to hear, but it certainly hadn’t been that. He glared and growled at his brother,

“Fine. But then you stay away from those kids. They don’t need to get wrapped up in this science stuff because all it does is get people hurt.”

Stan stomped down the hallway, not turning back until he was sure Ford had left. Half of him, the half that was stupid and had thought his brother would be happy to see him, wanted Ford to still be there.

Ford wasn’t.

Stan scoffed at himself, going to his room and shutting the door. Of course Ford wasn’t there.

 

It was early morning, the light filtering through the blinds looking weak and thin. Stan sighed, rolling over for the fifteenth time that night. This was the salt in the wound, honestly. After spending thirty years working all night, of course he couldn’t just fall asleep. Of course not. That would have been asking the universe to do something nice for him.

Stan growled in frustration before rolling out of bed and throwing on his bathrobe and slippers. If he wasn’t going to get any sleep, he might as well just start the day.

He walked into the kitchen, starting the coffee with muscle memory alone. Between tours and the kids and Ford, it was going to be a long day.

Stan nearly screamed when he turned around and saw his brother standing in the entryway. He didn’t know a succubus could move so quietly but he was seriously debating sewing a bell to Ford’s sweater. Come to think of it, he could probably talk Mabel into that one.

“’Morning, Ford,” Stan said. Ford nodded, blinking blearily at him. Ford stepped further into the kitchen but made no move to sit down. Now that Stan thought about it, Ford looked to be running a little more tired than he’d been the night before. Stan frowned, “What, can’t you sleep in this dimension?”

“I haven’t slept on a bed in about fifteen years, so I suppose not,” said Ford sleepily. Well if he wanted to start a fight, all he had to do was say so, Stan thought. He opened his mouth to answer back but Ford beat him to it.

“I have a request.”

“What, moving out in a month and trying to resurrect an identity that’s been dead thirty years isn’t enough?” Stan snorted. Ford had the decency to at least look away guiltily. Stan sighed. It was too early to be having this fight. The kids could wake up any minute; Mabel was always an obscenely early riser. “What do you want, Ford?”

Ford looked like he’d rather pull his own teeth out than admit he needed something, but Ford slowly ground out, “Can I have a hug?”

“A what?”

“A hug, Stanley. Succubi live off carnal relations. As you and I both know, that is the opposite of what I want to do with my life. My change was modified so that I live off close relationships and physical contact with others. No matter the state of our current relationship, you are still my brother. I believe there is enough residual affection that—” Ford went silent as Stanley stepped forward and wrapped his brother in a big hug. Ford froze for a second, then felt his entire body start to melt. He’d been right. Hugs from family had more feeling, more overwhelming power behind them. It had been a hunch when Mabel hugged him, but it was confirmed with Stanley. He could feel all of Stanley emotions, which appeared to be almost every emotion under the sun when it came to his opinion of Ford. Ford sighed as he felt all of it swirling. It oddly echoed his own opinions of Stan.

“We certainly are a pair of wrecked old men, aren’t we,” Ford said. Stan replied gruffly,

“No talking. We’re already hugging, don’t push your luck with some sappy conversational stuff.”

“Stanley, really. You were always the one who wanted to watch those sappy soaps Mom had on—”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, Sixer,” Stan said, his voice muffled by Ford’s sweater. Ford couldn’t stop the smile that crept across his face as he felt Stanley slowly start to sag against him.

“Stan, are you falling asleep?”

“No,” came Stan’s quiet reply. Ford felt Stan lean entirely against him and Stan’s breathing went deep. Ford shook his head, sighing. Well, there was nothing for it. Stan’s hug was “feeding” Ford like nothing else ever had before—he’d never realized how tired and worn he constantly was until he suddenly realized that maybe things could get better than that—and clearly Stan need to sleep. Ford hugged Stan tight to him and carefully dragged him across the floor until the pair of them could sink into the easy chair. Ford sat beside Stan, carefully arranging his wings so they weren’t crushed against the chair. Stan was still asleep, snoring softly against Ford’s shoulder.

Ford felt the exhaustion start seeping into him. Not the kind that spoke of going too long without affection, but the much more human kind of not sleeping. It was insane; how he had he lived so long running on so little?

In a matter of minutes, Ford was fast asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This whole work was inspired by this tumblr post: http://veusin.tumblr.com/post/176551836139/recently-i-found-a-succubusford-fic-and-i-thought
> 
> Find me on Tumblr at beatrice-babe.tumblr.com


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